Systems and methods for semantic editorial control and video/audio editing

ABSTRACT

In accordance with the present invention, a media content management application that allows a user to create and customize a version of media content based on semantic criteria is provided. Based on semantic criteria, the media content management application may use editing/assembly software packages to construct a version of the media content for an intended audience. In addition, the media content management application uses semantic criteria to provide the user with options for optimizing the cost of the version of media content, options for delivering the version of media content, and/or options for delivery mediums to transmit the version of media content.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 60/686,612, filed on Jun. 8, 2005, which is herebyincorporated by reference herein in its entirety. This application isalso a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/545,524, filed on Apr. 7, 2000, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of media creation andediting, and more particularly towards systems and methods for thegeneration, customization, and distribution of media content usingsemantic criteria.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Media content is created with the goal of having the content viewed,listened to, or otherwise received by a target audience. The targetaudience could be, for example, the entire world, a single nation, aregion, a city, a neighborhood, or even a specific individual. However,distributing the desired content and targeting it to the desiredaudience is a difficult process. It is often difficult to control whichconsumers receive a specific piece of media content. As a result, adistributor or creator of content might have to provide that content toa larger or smaller area than desired.

For example, marketers and advertisers have come to rely on demographicsolutions to establish patterns and trends about the purchasing habitsof their target audience. Marketers and advertisers use the derivedinformation to generate observations relating to their markets, targetindividuals to different types of offerings, and select appropriatemedia purchases for advertising. In the case of video advertisingmedia—e.g., video tapes that are mailed, Internet video streams, orbroadcast or cable advertising, there are only limited means to producepersonalized versions of the advertisements or direct marketinginformation that directly takes advantage of information available aboutthe target audience. As such, even though companies know a tremendousamount of information about their target audience, the ability toleverage this information has been limited by the fundamentals of thebroadcast medium, thus requiring that a like message be sent to allcustomers.

In another example, a marketer and/or advertiser may create a generaladvertising campaign. When a parent company purchases the generalcampaign from the marketer and/or advertiser, the company generallyprovides the campaign to their field offices (e.g., a subsidiaryorganization) for distribution. Each field office typically hiresanother advertising agency to modify the advertisement based on, forexample, the respective market. This process of modifying theadvertisement is not only expensive, but the message that the modifiedadvertisement contains may veer from the general campaign that theparent organization desired. In addition, the changes that are mademight be made separately, and thus redundantly by the different fieldoffices. This is an expensive and ineffective method of creating anddistributing content.

Accordingly, there exists a need for systems and methods for contentmanagement that overcome these and other deficiencies in prior artsystems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In accordance with the present invention, systems and methods forgenerating, customizing, and/or distributing media content are provided.In particular, systems and methods that allow users to manage theediting of media content and make decisions relating to the mediacontent based on semantic criteria and other considerations areprovided.

Generally speaking, the present invention allows a user (e.g., anadvertiser, a marketer, a field office, a subsidiary of a parentcompany, a cable operator, etc.) to provide semantic criteria that mayhave associated with it particular metadata characteristics (e.g., male,female, unknown gender, zip code, type of vehicle, age, race, etc.) tothe media content management application. For example, the semanticcriteria and/or metadata characteristics may relate to an intendedaudience for the media content. In response, the application extractsthe metadata characteristics and performs the necessary functions togenerate one or more versions of media content (e.g., an advertisement).These one or more versions of media content are provided to the user.This may be performed by a user that does not have knowledge ofprofessional editing/assembly software, such as editing softwaredeveloped by Avid Technology, Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by AppleComputer Inc., intelliSpot or other assembly software developed byVisible World, etc. That is, in response to providing semantic criteriaand/or metadata characteristics, the media content managementapplication may use one or more of these professional editing/assemblysoftware or software packages or transmit the information to anotheruser (e.g., a Visible World employee) that has knowledge of theseprofessional editing/assembly software or software packages or othersoftware to create one or more versions of the media content thatcorrespond to the metadata characteristics.

Professional editing/assembly software requires that users be familiarwith the editing toolsets of the software as well as the details of themedia content, such as the editing points, the sequence of the mediasegments, how audio segments are married to video segments, how abackground audio track is married to video segments, which mediasegments may be customized and/or replaced, and any other suitabledetail relating to the media content. In addition, the professionalediting/assembly software requires that the user know the databasestructure called by the editing/assembly software or how and whichmetadata has been married to the audio segments, video segments, or anyother suitable media segments. The media content management applicationavoids these difficulties of these professional editing/assemblysoftware packages because the user is provided with an abstraction inthe form of semantic controls or semantic criteria. In response to thesemantic controls, the semantic controls are translated into functionsthat may be performed by one of these professional editing/assemblysoftware packages. Thus, the users of the media content managementapplication is not required to have knowledge of the professionalediting/assembly software packages or have knowledge of how the mediacontent (e.g., an advertisement) is put together. In addition, the userof the media content management application is not required to haveknowledge of the structure of the database accessed by the professionalediting/assembly software packages or how and which metadata isassociated with media segments stored in the database.

In addition, the media content management application allows the user(e.g., an advertiser) to create a version of media content withouthaving knowledge of media planning and placement, dynamic processing,production, and post-production.

It should be noted that the user and/or the media content managementapplication are not required to have a database or a special purposedatabase that assembles the versions of media content. The media contentmanagement application avoids this difficulty by using theediting/assembly software to generate the versions of media content withthe appropriate media segments (e.g., portions of audio, portions ofvideo, background audio, voiceovers, images, animations, graphics, etc.)and providing the versions of media content to the user without the needfor having and/or maintaining a special purpose database (e.g., anobject oriented database with a plurality of media segments, includingthose media segments not desired by the user). The media segments thatrelate to the semantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics are usedto generate the versions of media content.

Using this application, the user may order and receive a finishedversion of the media content. The finished version may be transmitted toa delivery point in any suitable medium (e.g., a videotape, a DVD, a CD,an MPEG-2 format, an MPEG-4 format, a standard definition format, a highdefinition format, a media format, a media resolution, downloaded,etc.).

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayprovide the user with additional semantic criteria for tailoring theversion of the media content.

In some embodiments, the media content management application maytransmit the version of the media content to a delivery point.

In some embodiments, the media content management application maytransmit the version of the media content in a particular deliveryformat.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayoptimize the cost of the version of the media content. In someembodiments, the media content management application may attachsemantic criteria to each version of the media content to allow the userto manage the cost of the versions of the media content. The costsassociated with each version of the media content based on the attachedsemantic criteria may be provided to the user. The user may then selectone of the plurality of versions of the media content based at least inpart on the cost associated with each version of the media content.

In some embodiments, the attached semantic criteria are one or more ofScreen Actors Guild agreement parameters, compensation agreements withtalent personnel, cost of media for the media content, cost of actors,number of weeks required to assemble the versions of the media content,cost of on-camera performers, cost of off-camera performers, cost ofextras, cost of voiceovers, cost of musicians, cost of music, cost ofdelivery, production implications, talent implications, and deliveryimplications.

In some embodiments, the attached semantic criteria may be used torecommend one of the plurality of versions of the media content to theuser (e.g., based on cost).

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayprovide the user with a plurality of delivery options, where thedelivery options include a delivery format that is determined using theselected semantic criteria.

In some embodiments, the delivery format is one of a videotape, a DVD, aCD, a high definition format, a standard definition format, an MPEG-2format, an MPEG-4 format, a media format, and a media resolution.

In some embodiments, the media content management application uses thesemantic criteria to recommend the delivery format to the user.

In some embodiments, the media content management application uses thesemantic criteria to filter out at least one delivery format to the userfrom a plurality of delivery formats.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may allowthe user to select at least one delivery format from a plurality ofdelivery formats for the at least one version of the media content.

In some embodiments, the media content management application allows theuser to select at least one delivery point from a plurality of deliverypoints for the version of the media content.

In some embodiments, the at least one delivery point is one of aspecific market, a station, an affiliate, a company, a cableinterconnect, a headend, a cable operator, and an individual.

In some embodiments, the media content management application uses thesemantic criteria to recommend the at least one delivery point to theuser.

In some embodiments, the media content management application uses thesemantic criteria to filter out the at least one delivery point from theplurality of delivery points.

Thus, there has been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention in order that the detailed description thereofthat follows may be better understood, and in order that the presentcontribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course,additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafterand which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.

In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of theinvention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is notlimited in its application to the details of construction and to thearrangements of the components set forth in the following description orillustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of otherembodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminologyemployed herein are for the purpose of description and should not beregarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

These together with other objects of the invention, along with thevarious features of novelty which characterize the invention, arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses,reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptionmatter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of theinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and advantages of the present invention canbe more fully appreciated with reference to the following detaileddescription of the invention when considered in connection with thefollowing drawing, in which like reference numerals identify likeelements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative media contentmanagement system on which a media content management application may beimplemented in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an illustrative workstation and serveras provided, for example, in FIG. 1 in accordance with some embodimentsof the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an illustrative home screen that may be provided in accordancewith some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an illustrative customization screen having options forcustomizing and editing media content that may be provided in accordancewith some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an illustrative message template that may be provided inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an illustrative schematic of the contents of a media databasethat may be provided in accordance with some embodiments of the presentinvention.

FIG. 7 is an illustrative planning screen that may be provided inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 8-10 are illustrative approval screens having options for furthercustomizing one or more versions of media content that may be providedin accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

FIGS. 11-14 are illustrative screens for ordering the assembly,production, and delivery of media content that may be provided inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The following description includes many specific details. The inclusionof such details is for the purpose of illustration only and should notbe understood to limit the invention. Moreover, certain features whichare well known in the art are not described in detail in order to avoidcomplication of the subject matter of the present invention. Inaddition, it will be understood that features in one embodiment may becombined with features in other embodiments of the invention.

In accordance with the present invention, systems and methods forgenerating, customizing, and/or distributing media content are provided(hereinafter “the media content management application” or “theapplication”). In particular, systems and methods that allow users tomanage the editing of media content and make decisions relating to themedia content based on semantic criteria and other considerations areprovided.

Generally speaking, the present invention allows a user (e.g., anadvertiser, a marketer, a field office, a subsidiary of a parentcompany, a cable operator, etc.) to provide semantic criteria that mayhave associated with it particular metadata characteristics (e.g., male,female, unknown gender, zip code, type of vehicle, age, race, etc.) tothe application. For example, the semantic criteria and/or metadatacharacteristics may relate to an intended audience for the mediacontent. In response, the application extracts the metadatacharacteristics and performs the necessary functions to generate one ormore versions of media content (e.g., an advertisement). These one ormore versions of media content are provided to the user. This may beperformed by a user that does not have knowledge of professionalediting/assembly software, such as editing software developed by AvidTechnology, Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by Apple Computer Inc.,intelliSpot or other assembly software developed by Visible World, etc.That is, in response to providing semantic criteria and/or metadatacharacteristics, the media content management application may use one ormore of these professional editing/assembly software or softwarepackages or transmit the information to another user that has knowledgeof these professional editing/assembly software or software packages tocreate one or more versions of the media content that correspond to themetadata characteristics.

Professional editing/assembly software requires that users be familiarwith the editing toolsets of the software as well as the details of themedia content, such as the editing points, the sequence of the mediasegments, how audio segments are married to video segments, how abackground audio track is married to video segments, which mediasegments may be customized and/or replaced, and any other suitabledetail relating to the media content. In addition, the professionalediting/assembly software requires that the user know the databasestructure called by the editing/assembly software or how and whichmetadata has been married to the audio segments, video segments, or anyother suitable media segments. The media content management applicationavoids these difficulties of these professional editing/assemblysoftware packages because the user is provided with an abstraction inthe form of semantic controls or semantic criteria. In response to thesemantic controls, the semantic controls are translated into functionsthat may be performed by one of these professional editing/assemblysoftware packages. Thus, the users of the media content managementapplication is not required to have knowledge of the professionalediting/assembly software packages or have knowledge of how the mediacontent (e.g., an advertisement) is put together. In addition, the userof the media content management application is not required to haveknowledge of the structure of the database accessed by the professionalediting/assembly software packages or how and which metadata isassociated with media segments stored in the database.

In addition, the media content management application allows the user(e.g., an advertiser) to create a version of media content withouthaving knowledge of media planning and placement, dynamic processing,production, and post-production.

It should be noted that the user is not required to input all of thenecessary metadata characteristics needed to create the one or moreversions of the media content. For example, the user may input that theintended audience resides in the zip code “10020.” In response, themedia content management application may not require that the user knowany other information regarding the intended audience in the zip code“10020.” The media content management application may obtain themetadata characteristics that correspond to the intended audience fromanother entity, a database, or any other suitable source. For example,the media content management application may extract from the inputtedzip code of “10020” that the intended audience is 60% male and 40%female, 80% have an income level greater than $100,000, and 60% areCaucasian.

It should also be noted that the user is not required to have a databaseor a special purpose database that assembles the versions of mediacontent. The media content management application avoids this difficultyby using editing/assembly software to generate the versions of mediacontent with the appropriate media segments (e.g., portions of audio,portions of video, background audio, voiceovers, images, animations,graphics, etc.) and providing it to the user without the need for havingand/or maintaining a special purpose database (e.g., an object orienteddatabase with a plurality of media segments, including those mediasegments not desired by the user). The media segments that relate to thesemantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics are used to generatethe versions of media content.

Using this application, the user may order and receive a finishedversion of the media content. The finished version may be transmitted toa delivery point in any suitable medium (e.g., videotape, DVD, MPEG-2,MPEG-4, standard definition, high definition, downloaded, etc.).

The following FIGS. 1-14 and their accompanying descriptions providedetailed examples of the implementation of the systems and methods ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1 is a generalized schematic diagram of an illustrative mediacontent management system 100 on which a media content managementapplication may be implemented in accordance with some embodiments ofthe present invention. As illustrated, system 100 may include one ormore workstations 102. Workstations 102 may be local to each other orremote from each other. Workstations 102 are connected by one or morecommunications links 104 to a communications network 106 that is linkedvia a communications link 108 to a server 110.

System 100 may include one or more servers 110. Server 110 may be anysuitable server for providing access to the media content managementapplication, such as a processor, a computer, a data processing device,or a combination of such devices. Communications network 106 may be anysuitable computer network including the Internet, an intranet, awide-area network (“WAN”), a local-area network (“LAN”), a wirelessnetwork, a digital subscriber line (“DSL”) network, a frame relaynetwork, an asynchronous transfer mode (“ATM”) network, a virtualprivate network (“VPN”), or any combination of any of such networks.Communications links 104 and 108 may be any communications linkssuitable for communicating data between workstations 102 and server 110,such as network links, dial-up links, wireless links, hard-wired links,any other suitable communications links, or a combination of such links.Workstations 102 enable a user to access features of the media contentmanagement application. Workstations 102 may be personal computers,laptop computers, mainframe computers, dumb terminals, data displays,Internet browsers, personal digital assistants (“PDAs”), two-way pagers,wireless terminals, portable telephones, any other suitable accessdevice, or any combination of such devices. Workstations 102 and server110 may be located at any suitable location. In one embodiment,workstations 102 and server 110 may be located within an organization.Alternatively, workstations 102 and server 110 may be distributedbetween multiple organizations.

The server and one of the workstations, which are depicted in FIG. 1,are illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 2,workstation 102 may include processor 202, display 204, input device206, and memory 208, which may be interconnected. In a preferredembodiment, memory 208 contains a storage device for storing aworkstation program for controlling processor 202.

Processor 202 uses the workstation program to present on display 204 theapplication and the data received through communications link 104 andcommands and values transmitted by a user of workstation 102. It shouldalso be noted that data received through communications link 104 or anyother communications links may be received from any suitable source,such as WebServices. Input device 206 may be a computer keyboard, acursor-controller, dial, switchbank, lever, or any other suitable inputdevice as would be used by a designer of input systems or processcontrol systems.

Server 110 may include processor 220, display 222, input device 224, andmemory 226, which may be interconnected. In a preferred embodiment,memory 226 contains a storage device for storing data received throughcommunications link 108 or through other links, and also receivescommands and values transmitted by one or more users. The storage devicefurther contains a server program for controlling processor 220.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayinclude an application program interface (not shown), or alternatively,the application may be resident in the memory of workstation 102 orserver 110. In another suitable embodiment, the only distribution toworkstation 102 may be a graphical user interface (“GUI”) which allows auser to interact with the media content management application residentat, for example, server 110.

In one particular embodiment, the media content management applicationmay include client-side software, hardware, or both. For example, theapplication may encompass one or more Web-pages or Web-page portions(e.g., via any suitable encoding, such as HyperText Markup Language(“HTML”), Dynamic HyperText Markup Language (“DHTML”), Extensible MarkupLanguage (“XML”), JavaServer Pages (“JSP”), Active Server Pages (“ASP”),Cold Fusion, or any other suitable approaches).

Although the media content management application is described herein asbeing implemented on a workstation and/or server, this is onlyillustrative. The application may be implemented on any suitableplatform (e.g., a personal computer (“PC”), a mainframe computer, a dumbterminal, a data display, a two-way pager, a wireless terminal, aportable telephone, a portable computer, a palmtop computer, an H/PC, anautomobile PC, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”),a combined cellular phone and PDA, etc.) to provide such features.

It will also be understood that the detailed description herein may bepresented in terms of program procedures executed on a computer ornetwork of computers. These procedural descriptions and representationsare the means used by those skilled in the art to most effectivelyconvey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.

A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistentsequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps are thoserequiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, thoughnot necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical ormagnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined,compared and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times,principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals asbits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or thelike. It should be noted, however, that all of these and similar termsare to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and aremerely convenient labels applied to these quantities.

Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms,such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mentaloperations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a humanoperator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of theoperations described herein which form part of the present invention;the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for performingthe operation of the present invention include general purpose digitalcomputers or similar devices.

The present invention also relates to apparatus for performing theseoperations. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the requiredpurpose or it may comprise a general purpose computer as selectivelyactivated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer.The procedures presented herein are not inherently related to aparticular computer or other apparatus. Various general purpose machinesmay be used with programs written in accordance with the teachingsherein, or it may prove more convenient to construct more specializedapparatus to perform the required method steps. The required structurefor a variety of these machines will appear from the description given.

The system according to the invention may include a general purposecomputer, or a specially programmed special purpose computer. The usermay interact with the system via e.g., a personal computer or over PDA,e.g., the Internet, an Intranet, etc. Either of these may be implementedas a distributed computer system rather than a single computer.Similarly, the communications link may be a dedicated link, a modem overa POTS line, the Internet and/or any other method of communicatingbetween computers and/or users. Moreover, the processing could becontrolled by a software program on one or more computer systems orprocessors, or could even be partially or wholly implemented inhardware.

Although a single computer may be used, the system according to one ormore embodiments of the invention is optionally suitably equipped with amultitude or combination of processors or storage devices. For example,the computer may be replaced by, or combined with, any suitableprocessing system operative in accordance with the concepts ofembodiments of the present invention, including sophisticatedcalculators, hand held, laptop/notebook, mini, mainframe and supercomputers, as well as processing system network combinations of thesame. Further, portions of the system may be provided in any appropriateelectronic format, including, for example, provided over a communicationline as electronic signals, provided on CD and/or DVD, provided onoptical disk memory, etc.

Any presently available or future developed computer software languageand/or hardware components can be employed in such embodiments of thepresent invention. For example, at least some of the functionalitymentioned above could be implemented using Visual Basic, C, C++ or anyassembly language appropriate in view of the processor being used. Itcould also be written in an object oriented and/or interpretiveenvironment such as Java and transported to multiple destinations tovarious users.

Turning now to FIG. 3, an illustrative home screen 300 that may beprovided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention isdisplayed. The media content management application is designed toprovide users with the ability to efficiently and conveniently create,customize, and/or distribute media content using semantic criteria. Thisincludes, for example, allowing the user to browse through informationrelating to media content (e.g., which media segments are available,which media segments are new, inventory information, sales information,sales results, offer information, templates available for use, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 3, screen 300 is related to creating, customizing,and/or distributing media content relating to automobiles (e.g.,automobile commercials). However, the media content may relate to anyother suitable subject, such as, for example, travel, electronics,political campaigns, etc.

Screen 300 includes information relating to campaigns, campaigntemplates (e.g., a campaign template for a thirty second commercial formultiple vehicles), inventory (e.g., newly delivered cars and theallocation in the Northeast), sales (e.g., third quarter of 2004 salesresults, year to date sales results, annual sales reports, etc.), offers(e.g., offers for the months of October and November, end of the yearoffers, leasing offers, etc.), and updated media content (e.g., newcampaign templates available for use, new media content for selection,etc.).

As shown, screen 300 of FIG. 3 is designed to be provided on a computerdisplay (e.g., display 204 of workstation 102 or display 222 of server110 of FIGS. 1 and 2). However, it should be noted that the format andcontents of the screens that follow may be modified to accommodatedifferent platforms, if desired. It should also be noted that some, all,or alternatives to the following screens may be provided to a user ofthe media content management application in accordance with the presentinvention.

The media content management application may be accessed by varioususers including, but not limited to, an advertiser, a marketer, a userat a field office, a user at a parent company, a user at a subsidiary ofthe parent company, and a user at a cable operator in order to create,customize, and/or distribute media content. In some embodiments, themedia content management application may provide each of these userswith different features. For example, an advertiser may be permitted tocreate a variety of versions of a commercial spot, while a user at afield office may only be permitted to make certain changes to one ormore commercial spots. In such an example, the commercial spots createdby the advertiser may be customized by other users, but in a way thatthe overall message does not change. Alternatively, certain users (e.g.,an advertiser or a marketer) may be permitted to create and/or customizemedia content, while other users (e.g., a user at a field office) may bepermitted to purchase or receive media content.

The media content management application provides the user with aninterface 340 for creating, customizing, and/or distributing mediacontent. As shown in FIG. 3, the “home” button is currently selected ininterface 340.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may allowthe user to select to receive media content. For example, the user maybe provided with an interface having a plurality of media content. Inresponse to the selection by the user, the media content managementapplication may retrieve the media content from a library of mediacontent and provide the media content to the user. The library ofcontent may be provided to the user in the form of, for example, a list,a database, or any other suitable approach for providing content to theuser. Alternatively, the media content management application mayprovide the user with one or more semantic criteria for creating and/orcustomizing the media content. Segments (e.g., portions of audio,portions of video, background audio, voiceovers, images, etc.) may beretrieved from the library of content and assembled to create the mediacontent using an editing/assembly software package, an editing/assemblysystem, or a user that is capable of using the editing/assembly softwarepackage or editing/assembly system. The user may preview the contentbefore purchasing it or at any time during or after the selection andcreation process.

Referring back to FIG. 3, in response to the user selecting the“preview” button of interface 340, the media content managementapplication provides the user with an illustrative creation screen 400(FIG. 4). In some embodiments, the media content management applicationmay provide the user with a list of campaigns (e.g., an advertisingcampaign for automobiles, an advertising campaign for a politician,etc.) or a list of generated media content. In response to selecting aparticular campaign or particular media content, the media contentmanagement application may provide the user with screen 400 to customizethe media content using semantic criteria.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayprovide the user with one or more semantic criteria (e.g., in the formof questions or options) relating to the media content. Using theresponses to the semantic criteria, the media content managementapplication provides the user with semantic editorial control. Forexample, the media content management application may provide the userwith one or more abstract questions for information relating to gender,affluence, ethnicity, geography, advertisement style, type of offer,etc. Based on the responses to each of the questions, the media contentmanagement application may use an editing/assembly software package todetermine which media segments are associated with the responses,retrieve the corresponding media segments, and/or assemble the one ormore versions of the media content.

In one example, the media content management application may provide theuser with the question “What is the offer?” In response to the userinputting that a 20% off offer should be conveyed in the media content,the media content management application may perform the routinesnecessary to create media content that conveys such a message. Forexample, the media content management application may associate such aresponse with the media segments relating to 20% off sales offers (e.g.,an audio segment describing the offer, a video segment describing theoffer, a soundtrack to go along with the offer, disclaimers that are tobe displayed along with the offer, how the media segments are sequenced,how the audio segments are married to the video segments, which segmentsoverlap, how the background audio track is married to the videosegments, etc.). The media content management application may transmitthe semantic criteria to an editing/assembly software package, anediting/assembly system, or a user of the editing/assembly softwarepackage or editing/assembly system that constructs a version of themedia content for the user.

As shown in FIG. 4, screen 400 provides the user with a list of semanticcriteria 420 relating to the media content to be created. Using screen400 or any other suitable interface, the media content managementapplication allows the user to manage the editing of media content andmake decisions relating to the media content (or version of the mediacontent) based on semantic criteria. Semantic criteria 420 may include,for example, options relating to the style of the advertisement, optionsrelating to the event, options relating to the type of vehicle, optionsrelating to the model of the vehicle, options relating to the offer,options relating to the gender of the target audience (e.g., male orfemale), options relating to the affluence of the target audience (e.g.,income greater than $70,000), options relating to the ethnicity of thetarget audience (e.g., Caucasian, African-American, Hispanic, Asian,etc.), options relating to the geography of the target audience (e.g.,Northeast, South, Europe, Asia, etc.), etc. Any other suitable criteriamay also be provided. For example, criteria relating to the targetaudience's likes and dislikes (e.g., the audience likes sports-relatedcommercials, the audience likes advertisements with dogs in it, etc.)may be provided.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the media content managementapplication may allow a user, such as an advertiser, to respond to thequestions having semantic criteria. The responses to the semanticcriteria (e.g., semantic criteria 420) may be used by the media contentmanagement application to perform the necessary functions to generateone or more version of media content. For example, in response to theuser indicating that the intended audience has the gender “Male,” themedia content management application may use this semantic criteria todetermine which media segments may be used for constructing the versionof the media content. In one example, the media content managementapplication may provide the semantic criteria and/or metadatacharacteristics (e.g., male) to an editing/assembly software package ora user of the editing/assembly software package. The editing/assemblysoftware package may be used to retrieve media segments relating to thesemantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics and assemble one ormore versions of the media content.

Professional editing/assembly software (e.g., editing software developedby Avid Technology, Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by Apple ComputerInc., intelliSpot or other assembly software developed by Visible World,etc.) requires that users be familiar with the editing toolsets of thesoftware as well as the details of the media content, such as theediting points, the sequence of the media segments, how audio segmentsare married to video segments, how a background audio track is marriedto video segments, which media segments may be customized and/orreplaced, and any other suitable detail relating to the media content.In addition, the professional editing/assembly software requires thatthe user know the database structure called by the editing/assemblysoftware or how and which metadata has been married to the audiosegments, video segments, or any other suitable media segments. Itshould be noted that the media content management application avoidsthese difficulties because the user is provided with an abstraction inthe form of semantic controls or semantic criteria. In response to thesemantic criteria, the semantic criteria are translated into functionsthat may be performed by one of these professional editing/assemblysoftware packages. In response to providing semantic criteria, the mediacontent management application may use one or more of these professionalediting/assembly software packages or transmit the information toanother user that has knowledge of these editing/assembly softwarepackages to create one or more versions of the media content thatcorrespond to the metadata characteristics. Thus, the users of the mediacontent management application are not required to have knowledge of theprofessional editing/assembly software packages or have knowledge of howthe media content (e.g., advertisement) is put together. In addition,the user of the media content management application is not required tohave knowledge of the structure of the database accessed by theprofessional editing/assembly software packages or how and whichmetadata is associated with media segments stored in the database.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may usethe semantic criteria provided by the user to obtain additionalinformation about the intended audience of the version of the mediacontent. For example, the user may input that the intended audienceresides in the zip code “10020” in the “Geography” field of FIG. 4. Inresponse, the media content management application may not require thatthe user know any other information regarding the intended audience inthe zip code “10020.” The media content management application mayobtain the metadata characteristics that correspond to the intendedaudience from another entity, a database, or any other suitable source.For example, the media content management application may extract fromthe inputted zip code of “10020” that the intended audience is 60% maleand 40% female, 80% has an income level greater than $100,000, and 60%is Caucasian. In another example, the media content managementapplication may retrieve the information from a different source (e.g.,from the United States Census Bureau website, from a market demographicswebsite, from a marketing database, etc.).

In some embodiments, the media content management application may allowthe user to indicate whether certain semantic criteria are variables forcreating or customizing the media content. As shown in FIG. 4, the usermay select “NO” for at least one of the semantic criteria 420. Inresponse, those semantic criteria may not be considered a variable increating or customizing the media content. For example, in response tothe user selecting “NO” for the gender semantic criteria, the mediacontent management application may select default audio and/or videosegments from a database that are not directed towards a particulargender (gender neutral or gender unknown).

Accordingly, in response to the user responding to one or more ofsemantic criteria 420, the media content management application mayassemble media content that the user may preview. In response toselecting a preview button 440, the media content management applicationmay display the version of the media content in a window 460. Usingsemantic criteria, the media content management application allows userto preview and order finished versions of the media content fordelivery.

It should be noted that the media segments include, for example,graphics (e.g., text, images, background filler, visual objects, visualeffects, etc.), video segments, audio segments (e.g., synthesizedspeech, music, background sounds, etc.), animations, etc. While thesemedia segments used in assembling the one or more versions of the mediacontent may be retrieved from a database, it should also be noted thatthe user or the media content management application is not required tohave a database that assembles the versions of media content. The mediacontent management application avoids this difficulty by using anediting/assembly software package that generates the versions of mediacontent with the appropriate media segments (e.g., portions of audio,portions of video, background audio, voiceovers, images, animations,graphics, etc.) and provides the versions of media content to the userwithout the need for having and/or maintaining a special purposedatabase (e.g., an object oriented database with a plurality of mediasegments, including those media segments not desired by the user). Themedia segments that relate to the semantic criteria and/or metadatacharacteristics are used by the editing/assembly software package togenerate the versions of media content.

It should be also noted that media segments and other elements may havemetadata associated with them in terms of relative or absolute fit withone or more semantic criteria. For example, in response to a pricechange, the media content management application or an editing/assemblysoftware package may retrieve one or more different pieces ofcorresponding video segments and one or more different pieces ofcorresponding audio segments with rules on placement, synchronization ofaudio with video, and a change in the background music track. In anotherexample, each media segment may have one or more metadata tagsassociated with it and, in response to receiving semantic criteria withcorresponding metadata characteristics, the editing/assembly softwarepackage may retrieve media segments having the corresponding metadatacharacteristics. The semantic criteria may affect how media content issequenced, the primary audio segments and how it is married to the videosegments, the background audio track and how it is married to the videosegments, etc.

It should further be noted that the media content management applicationmay use an editing/assembly software package or any other suitablesoftware to assemble a plurality of versions of the media content thatthe user may preview, each of which are in accordance with the user'sresponses to the one or more semantic criteria 420. The user may previewand select one or more of the media content for distribution. In anotherembodiment, the media content management application may allow the userto select additional options (e.g., options 420) to more narrowly tailorthe one or more versions of the media content.

Alternatively, in some embodiments, the media content managementapplication may provide the user with a variety of media segments thatcorrespond to the semantic criteria for selection by the user toconstruct the customized version of media content. For example, themedia content management application may provide the user with a varietyof customized media content, where each has different media segments,and the user may select at least one of the customized media content. Inanother example, the media content management application may providethe user with a list or a display of media segments, where the user mayselect one or more of the media segments for incorporation into theresulting customized media content.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show an illustrative message template 500 and the contents600 of a database that may be provided in accordance with someembodiments of the present invention. The message template 500 describesa framework to create and assemble media content for the targetaudience. The message template may include sequences 520, such asinsertable sequences (e.g., insertable audio and/or video mediasegments) and/or predefined sequences. For example, predefined sequencesmay be inserted into the message template 500 that do not vary betweendifferent versions of the media content. In addition, the messagetemplate 500 may include rules for selection and combination of mediasegments and other resources to generate the media content.

It should be noted that the message template of the present invention500 is not limited to orthogonal assembling of media segments. One ormore elements of the media content are capable of being controlled andcombined using various approaches to provide customized media content.For example, a background scene, such as a geographic landscape, isselected from one database and used as a common background throughoutthe playback of the media content, while insertable video segments areadded to the media content at certain positions.

The design of the message template may be determined using informationfrom the campaign, information from the default message (e.g.,non-customized media content), etc.

In response to indications from the user, the media content managementapplication may create media content for a particular market, company,or individual. For example, the media content management application mayuse an editing/assembly software package to obtain particular mediasegments and/or media information from one or more databases andassemble media content to be distributed to an audience. It should benoted that the database accessed by the media content managementapplication or the editing/assembly software package may be any suitablestorage device for storing advertisement information, audio segments,video segments, sequences, any other suitable media segments, and anyother suitable information that may be used to generate media content.The database may be a special media database that is accessed by themedia content management application or the editing/assembly softwarepackage. The database may be untethered to the media content managementapplication, the editing/assembly software package, the cable operator,the headend, the network provider, and/or any other suitable entity.

It should be also noted that these sequences and media segments may bestored on high capacity, high speed servers, databases, or any suitablestorage device capable of delivering these sequences and media segmentsin “real time” or “near real time” for production and assembly on thefly.

Editing/assembly software packages and features for creatingpersonalized messages based on user information are described in, forexample, commonly-owned, commonly-assigned U.S. patent application Ser.No. 09/545,524, filed Apr. 7, 2000, which is hereby incorporated byreference herein in its entirety.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may alsouse or attach semantic criteria and/or metadata characteristics to morenarrowly tailor or customize the versions of media content.

Referring to FIG. 7, in response to the user previewing the assembledversion of the media content, the media content management applicationprovides the user with an illustrative planning screen 700 that may beprovided in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.As shown in interface 340, the “plan” button is currently selected.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayprovide the user with an opportunity to preview versions of the mediacontent based on selected options, edit and/or customize the mediacontent, and approve media content to be produced. In some embodiments,the media content management application will dynamically calculate theproduct and delivery costs for the approved media content. The mediacontent management application may provide the user with alternativesand/or optimize the version of media content based on cost. For example,one version of the media content may provide a video clip using anactor, while another version of the media content may provide a videoclip using a cartoon character. Each version of the media content mayhave a different cost associated with it (for example, due to the costof hiring an actor or the Screen Actors Guild agreement for on-cameraperformers associated with the video clip).

As shown in FIG. 7, the media content management application providesthe user with parameters 720 and 725. Parameters 720 and 725 may allowthe user to further customize the version of media content based onadditional semantic criteria. Based on the parameters selected by theuser or by the media content management application, certain additionalsemantic criteria may be provided to the user for customizing theversion of media content. For example, the parameters “Media Plan” and“Zone Data” are provided in FIG. 5. “Zone Data” may relate todemographics for the region the media content is to be transmitted.Accordingly, the parameter “Zone Data” may provide the user withdemographics options, such as gender options, income options, ethnicityoptions, etc.

In some embodiments, the media content management application allows theuser to import parameters from other sources (e.g., parameters 730 and735). For example, the user may import “Zone Data” parameters 735 fromanother campaign. In another example, importing “Zone Data” parameters735 may include retrieving demographic information from a differentsource (e.g., from the United States Census Bureau website, from amarket demographics website, from a marketing database, etc.).

As shown in FIG. 7, the media content management application providesthe user with a listing of programs 740 for each provider (e.g.,broadcast programs, cable zones, cable programs, etc.). In response toselecting a provider or type of program, the media content managementapplication may display the listing of programs 740. Each listed program750 may include program information, such as channel name, broadcasttime, title of the program, type of program, and/or any other suitableinformation. The user may select to associate the customized version ofmedia content to the program 750 by, for example, selecting a check box765. Upon approval of the media content, the media content may beassembled, produced, and distributed to the appropriate entity forplayback during the selected program 750.

For each selected program to distribute media content, the media contentmanagement application may dynamically calculate the associated costsand display the associated costs in cost interface 770. The costs may bean estimate to generate one or more pieces of media content and deliverthe media content to the appropriate entities. The costs may include,for example, media costs, production costs, delivery costs, etc. Thecosts provided in cost interface 770 may allow the user to use the mediacontent management application to optimize the cost of the version ofmedia content. For example, the media content management applicationprovides the user with the opportunity to optimize the cost of theversion of media content without having knowledge of the different costsassociated with creating and delivering the version of media content(e.g., the user does not need to know of the cost of providing theversion of media content into MPEG-2 or MPEG-4, the user does not needto know of the Screen Actors Guild agreement parameters or overridingcompensation agreements with specific talent personnel, the user doesnot need to know of the production implications for generating theversion of media content, etc.).

In some embodiments, the media content management application may allowthe user to further customize the version of the media content for theparticular program using one or more semantic criteria (e.g., in theform of questions or options). Using the responses to the semanticcriteria, the media content management application provides the userwith additional semantic editorial control. For example, the mediacontent management application may provide the user with one or moreabstract questions for information relating to gender, affluence,ethnicity, geography, advertisement style, type of offer, etc. Based onthe responses to each of the questions, the media content managementapplication may transmit the semantic criteria to an editing/assemblysoftware package, an editing/assembly system, or a user of anediting/assembly software package or editing/assembly system to furthertailor and/or construct the one or more versions of the media contentfor the user. By selecting one of the preview buttons 760 of FIG. 7, themedia content management application may provide the user withillustrative approval screens 800 of FIG. 8, 900 of FIG. 9, and 1000 ofFIG. 10 in accordance with some embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in screens 800, 900, and 1000, the media content managementapplication may provide the user with additional semantic criteria(e.g., the options and information on statistics, demographicinformation, etc. shown in FIGS. 8-10) for tailoring the version ofmedia content. For example, in approval screen 800 of FIG. 8, the useris provided with category 810 of “Broadcast Programs” and semanticcriteria 820 relating to gender, income, and ethnicity. As shown, themedia content management application may provide the user withadditional semantic criteria. For example, the media content managementapplication may inform the user that Caucasian males with an income ofless than $70,000 is the intended audience of the media content. Themedia content management application may obtain demographic informationto determine how the user should further customize the version of themedia content. In another example, the media content managementapplication may default to selections based on the demographicinformation. When the media content management application determinesthat the region the user is providing the media content to is primarilyCaucasian males (e.g., 61% males and 81% Caucasian as shown in FIG. 8),the media content management application may automatically default tothose options.

Using screens 800, 900, 1000, or any other suitable interface, the mediacontent management application allows the user to manage the editing ofmedia content and make decision relating to the media content (orversion of the media content) based on semantic criteria. Semanticcriteria may include, for example, options relating to the style of theadvertisement, options relating to the event, options relating to thetype of vehicle, options relating to the model of the vehicle, optionsrelating to the offer, options relating to the gender of the targetaudience (e.g., male or female), options relating to the affluence ofthe target audience (e.g., income greater than $70,000), optionsrelating to the ethnicity of the target audience (e.g., Caucasian,African-American, Hispanic, Asian, etc.), options relating to thegeography of the target audience (e.g., Northeast, South, Europe, Asia,etc.), etc. Any other suitable criteria may also be provided. Forexample, criteria relating to the target audience's likes and dislikes(e.g., the audience likes sports-related commercials, the audience likesadvertisements with dogs in it, etc.) may be provided.

Again, professional editing/assembly software (e.g., editing softwaredeveloped by Avid Technology, Inc., Final Cut Pro developed by AppleComputer Inc., intelliSpot or other assembly software developed byVisible World, etc.) requires that users be familiar with the editingtoolsets of the software package as well as the details of the mediacontent, such as the editing points, the sequence of the media segments,how audio segments are married to video segments, how a background audiotrack is married to video segments, which media segments may becustomized and/or replaced, and any other suitable detail relating tothe media content. In addition, the professional editing/assemblysoftware requires that the user know the database structure called bythe editing/assembly software or how and which metadata has been marriedto the audio segments, video segments, or any other suitable mediasegments. It should be noted that the media content managementapplication avoids this difficulty because the user is provided with anabstraction in the form of semantic controls or semantic criteria. Inresponse to the semantic criteria, the semantic criteria are translatedinto functions that may be performed by one of these professionalediting/assembly software packages. In response to providing semanticcriteria, the media content management application may use one or moreof these professional editing/assembly software packages or transmit theinformation to another user that has knowledge of these editing/assemblysoftware packages to create and/or tailor one or more versions of themedia content that correspond to the metadata characteristics. Thus, theusers of the media content management application are not required tohave knowledge of the professional editing/assembly software packages orhave knowledge of how the media content (e.g., advertisement) is puttogether. In addition, the user of the media content managementapplication is not required to have knowledge of the structure of thedatabase accessed by the professional editing/assembly software packagesor how and which metadata is associated with media segments stored inthe database.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may usesuch semantic criteria to determine that the user has appropriatelytargeted the media content. For example, the media content managementapplication may determine that the media content is best suited forCaucasian males with an income level of less than $70,000. In response,the media content management application may place this informationalong with the other semantic criteria that the user has selected forcustomizing the version of media content.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may usesuch information to automatically correct the options selected by theuser. For example, based on demographic information or any othersuitable targeting or marketing information, the media contentmanagement application may adjust the options selected by the user toimprove the targeting to the intended audience.

Referring back to FIG. 8, in response to the user responding to one ormore of the additional semantic criteria, the media content managementapplication uses the additional semantic criteria 820 to tailor andcustomize the version of the media content that the user may preview.Using a button or an interface, such as preview button 830, the user maypreview the customized version of the media content in preview window840. To approve the customized version of the media content, the mediacontent management application provides the user with an approval button850.

It should be noted that the additional semantic criteria 820, 920, and1020 in FIGS. 8-10 may be any suitable criteria. In some embodiments,semantic criteria 820 for broadcast programs may be different thansemantic criteria 920 for cable zones. Any suitable semantic criteriafor customizing the versions of media content may be provided by themedia content management application.

In response to approving one or more versions of the media content, themedia content management application may provide the user with theordering screens shown in FIGS. 11-14.

Referring to FIG. 11, the media content management application maydynamically calculate the production costs for creating the one or moreversions of the media content. The production costs may be based on, forexample, the media segments used in the version of the media content,the time required to assemble and produce the media content, etc. Asshown in FIG. 11, the media content management application may providethe user with an estimate for producing these customized versions ofmedia content and compare that estimate with the estimated cost forcreating customized versions of media content without using the mediacontent management application (e.g., hiring an advertising agency toproduce multiple versions of the media content). These estimatedproduction costs are displayed in interface 1120.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayprovide the user with the opportunity to optimize the version of mediacontent by cost. Using the ordering screens shown in FIGS. 11-14, themedia content management application may attach other metadata with theversion of the media content. For example, the ordering screens mayprovide the user with multiple versions of the media content and providethe user with the metadata associated with each of the versions. Oneversion of the media content may inform the user that a particular actorperforms a scene in the media content. That version has associated costsfor hiring that actor (e.g., Screen Actors Guild agreement parameters oroverriding compensation agreements with specific talent personnel) andother costs related to the particular actor. It should be noted that themedia content management application provides the user with these costestimates without the requiring the user to be familiar with theseagreements or associated costs. In addition, the media contentmanagement application may allow the user to select a version of themedia content based on its associated cost. In response, the mediacontent management application may transmit the cost information,semantic criteria, and/or associated metadata to the editing/assemblysoftware package to assemble the version of the media content.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayitemize the product costs such that the user may be provided withestimates for producing each of the versions of media content. The mediacontent management application may allow the user to select one or moreof the itemized costs. These selected costs may be transmitted to anediting/assembly software package, where the selected costs aretranslated and used to assemble the version of media content. Forexample, in response to the user approving the cost estimate for anon-camera performer, the editing/assembly software package may interpretthe approved cost estimate, retrieve media segments having the on-cameraperformer (e.g., a video clip that includes the on-camera performer),and assembles the version of the media content.

As shown in FIG. 12, the media content management application maygenerate an estimate of talent costs associated with generating the oneor more versions of media content. Talent costs may include costsassociated with hiring on-camera performers, off-camera performers,extras, performers for voiceovers, musicians, etc. These talent costsmay be based on, for example, Screen Actors Guild agreement parametersor agreements with specific talent personnel. These talent costs aredisplayed in interface 1210.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayprovide the user with the opportunity to select and/or optimize deliveryoptions for transmitting the version of media content. That is, withoutthe need for appreciating costs associated with delivering the versionof media content, the media content management application allows theuser to select a medium for the version of media content, one or moredelivery point for the version of media content, etc.

As shown in FIG. 13, the media content management application may allowthe user to select delivery options. The media content managementapplication may allow the user to select from one or more deliverypoints. These delivery points may include, for example, specific markets(e.g., Northeast, Atlanta, Chicago, etc.), stations and affiliates(e.g., KCNC (CBS) Denver, WABC (ABC) New York, etc.), companies, cableinterconnects, types of individuals (e.g., via an e-mail list), oractual individuals for distribution of the media content.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayrecommend which delivery points should receive the version of the mediacontent. For example, the media content management application mayprovide a listing of delivery points that have demographic informationcorresponding to the targeting information selected for the mediacontent. In another example, the media content management applicationmay use the previously inputted semantic criteria to generate anoptimized list of delivery points.

In some embodiments, the media content management application may usethe previously inputted semantic criteria to generate a list of deliverypoints (where metadata is associated with each delivery point), wherethe metadata from the listed delivery points matches the metadatacharacteristics associated with the previously inputted semanticcriteria. For example, the media content management application mayextract metadata characteristics from the previously inputted semanticcriteria. The metadata characteristics may be used by the media contentmanagement application to filter a list of available delivery points(e.g., WABC New York or all delivery points in New York have themetadata characteristics of greater than 50% Male and a majority ofhouseholds have an income of greater than $100,000).

In addition to selecting delivery points, the media content managementapplication may allow the user to select the format that the mediacontent is to be delivered to the delivery point. These formats mayinclude, for example, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, videotape (VHS), DVD, standarddefinition media (DV, DVCPRO, DVCAM, Uncompressed SD, etc.), highdefinition media (e.g., HDV, XDCAM HD, DVCPRO HD, Uncompressed HD,etc.), other media formats, other media resolutions, etc. For example,the station KCNC (CBS) Denver may receive the media content in the formof a videotape, while the station WABC (ABC) New York may download themedia content from a server or database. In another example, the stationKCNC (CBS) Denver may receive the version of media content in standarddefinition, while the station WABC (ABC) New York may receive theversion of media content in high definition and standard definition.

In some embodiments, the media content management application mayoptimize the user's selections. For example, the media contentmanagement application may determine the media format preferences,requirements, and other information relating to the station that theuser has selected to receive the version of media content. The mediacontent management application may determine that WABC (ABC) New Yorkrequires that versions of media content be received in both standarddefinition and high definition. The media content management applicationmay also determine that WABC (ABC) New York prefers that the versions ofmedia content be provided in MPEG-2 format. The media content managementapplication may also determine that WABC (ABC) New York requires that avideotape of the media content be sent to a particular address. Inresponse to the determinations, the media content management applicationmay pre-select the user's available selections for the particulardelivery point (e.g., only standard definition and videotape).Alternatively, the media content management application may prohibit theuser from selecting options that are not within the requirements of thedelivery point (e.g., the user cannot select standard definition becausethe particular delivery point only accepts media content in highdefinition).

Accordingly, the media content management application provides the userwith a number of options for delivering the version of media contentwith the user having to know about the requirements and/or preferencesof a particular delivery point.

Once the media content and delivery points have been selected by theuser, the media content management application may provide the user witha confirmation screen 1200. Confirmation screen may request that theuser review the campaign plan, customized options, deliveryspecifications, and other information before ordering that thecustomized versions of media content be assembled, produced, anddelivered to the selected delivery points (confirmation area 1410). Theuser may also be provided with a total estimated cost area 1420 thatdisplays the estimated media, production, delivery, and total costsassociated with assembling, producing, and delivering the customizedversions of media content. Upon selecting a “Process Order” button, theorder is placed.

The media content management application provides users with the abilityto create or select from a variety of media content that is ready fordelivery to an intended audience.

As described hereinabove, the media content management application ofthe present invention may allow users to generate, customize, and/ordistribute media content using semantic criteria. One of ordinary skillwould know how to utilize standard algorithms to implement the processesof the present invention based on the information provided in thisapplication.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in itsapplication to the details of construction and to the arrangements ofthe components set forth in the following description or illustrated inthe drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of beingpracticed and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understoodthat the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purposeof description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception,upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basisfor the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carryingout the several purposes of the present invention. It is important,therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalentconstructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in theforegoing exemplary embodiments, it is understood that the presentdisclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerouschanges in the details of implementation of the invention may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which islimited only by the claims which follow.

1. A computer implemented method for tracking commercials that areprovided to an audience by a content provider, wherein all steps areperformed by the computer, the computer comprising a processor, a memorydevice and control logic stored therein, said method comprising:presenting a plurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through acomputer interface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality offillable video segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at aspecific time point within said advertisement campaign, in response toreceiving a campaign selection input, presenting the user with a firstset of semantic criteria associated with the selected advertisementcampaign, the first set of criteria comprising a plurality ofcriterions; receiving a first criterion selection from the user;populating a second criterion of first set of criteria automaticallybased upon the selection of the first criterion; accessing a library ofmedia segments stored in the memory device, each of the media segmentscomprising a portion of an advertisement, each media segment associatedwith metadata defining the media segment; transmitting the first andsecond criterion selections to an assembly component; searching thememory device for media segments having metadata correlating with thefirst and second criterion selections; retrieving at least onecorrelating media segment from the memory device; inserting thecorrelating media segment into one of the fillable media slots into theadvertisement campaign, thereby generating a completed commercial; andpresenting a preview of the completed commercial on a display to theuser.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting thecompleted commercial to a delivery point.
 3. The method of claim 2,wherein the delivery point is one of a specific market, a station, anaffiliate, a company, a cable interconnect, a headend, a cable operator,and an individual.
 4. The method of claim 1, further comprisingtransmitting a first version of the completed commercial to a firstdelivery point and a second version of the media content to a seconddelivery point, wherein the first version and the second version of thecompleted commercial comprise at least one different media segment.
 5. Acomputer implemented method for tracking commercials that are providedto an audience by a content provider, wherein all steps are performed bythe computer, the computer comprising a processor, a memory device andcontrol logic stored therein, said method comprising: presenting aplurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through a computerinterface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality of fillablevideo segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at a specifictime point within said advertisement campaign, in response to receivinga campaign selection input, presenting the user with a first set ofsemantic criteria associated with the selected advertisement campaign,the first set of criteria comprising a plurality of criterions;receiving a first criterion selection from the user; populating a secondcriterion of first set of criteria automatically based upon theselection of the first criterion; accessing a library of media segmentsstored in the memory device, each of the media segments comprising aportion of an advertisement, each media segment associated with metadatadefining the media segment; transmitting the first and second criterionselections to an assembly component; searching the memory device formedia segments having metadata correlating with the first and secondcriterion selections; retrieving at least one correlating media segmentfrom the memory device; inserting the correlating media segment into oneof the fillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, therebygenerating a completed commercial; presenting a preview of the completedcommercial on a display to the user; providing the user with a pluralityof delivery options, wherein the delivery options include a deliveryformat that is determined using the selected semantic criteria; andreceiving a delivery option selection from the user.
 6. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the delivery format is one of a videotape, a DVD, a CD,a high definition format, a standard definition format, an MPEG-2format, an MPEG-4 format, a media format, and a media resolution.
 7. Themethod of claim 5, further comprising recommending to the user thedelivery format based on the first criterion selection.
 8. The method ofclaim 5 further comprising filtering out at least one delivery formatfrom a plurality of delivery formats, the at least one delivery formatbased on the first criterion selection.
 9. A computer implemented methodfor tracking commercials that are provided to an audience by a contentprovider, wherein all steps are performed by the computer, the computercomprising a processor, a memory device and control logic storedtherein, said method comprising: presenting a plurality of advertisementcampaigns to a user through a computer interface, each advertisingcampaign comprising a plurality of fillable video segment slots, eachfillable segment slot arranged at a specific time point within saidadvertisement campaign, in response to receiving a campaign selectioninput, presenting the user with a first set of semantic criteriaassociated with the selected advertisement campaign, the first set ofcriteria comprising a plurality of criterions; receiving a firstcriterion selection from the user; populating a second criterion offirst set of criteria automatically based upon the selection of thefirst criterion; accessing a library of media segments stored in thememory device, each of the media segments comprising a portion of anadvertisement, each media segment associated with metadata defining themedia segment; transmitting the first and second criterion selections toan assembly component; searching the memory device for media segmentshaving metadata correlating with the first and second criterionselections; retrieving at least one correlating media segment from thememory device; inserting the correlating media segment into one of thefillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, thereby generatinga completed commercial; presenting a preview of the completed commercialon a display to the user; presenting the user with a plurality ofdelivery formats; and receiving from the user a delivery formatselection from the plurality of delivery formats for the completedcommercial.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the delivery format is oneof a videotape, a DVD, a CD, a high definition format, a standarddefinition format, an MPEG-2 format, an MPEF-4 format, a media format,and a media resolution.
 11. The method of claim 9, further comprisingrecommending the delivery format to the user based on the firstcriterion selection.
 12. The method of claim 9, further comprisingfiltering out at least one delivery format from the plurality ofdelivery formats based on the first criterion selection.
 13. A computerimplemented method for tracking commercials that are provided to anaudience by a content provider, wherein all steps are performed by thecomputer, the computer comprising a processor, a memory device andcontrol logic stored therein, said method comprising: presenting aplurality of advertisement campaigns to a user through a computerinterface, each advertising campaign comprising a plurality of fillablevideo segment slots, each fillable segment slot arranged at a specifictime point within said advertisement campaign, in response to receivinga campaign selection input, presenting the user with a first set ofsemantic criteria associated with the selected advertisement campaign,the first set of criteria comprising a plurality of criterions;receiving a first criterion selection from the user; populating a secondcriterion of first set of criteria automatically based upon theselection of the first criterion; accessing a library of media segmentsstored in the memory device, each of the media segments comprising aportion of an advertisement, each media segment associated with metadatadefining the media segment; transmitting the first and second criterionselections to an assembly component; searching the memory device formedia segments having metadata correlating with the first and secondcriterion selections; retrieving at least one correlating media segmentfrom the memory device; inserting the correlating media segment into oneof the fillable media slots into the advertisement campaign, therebygenerating a completed commercial; presenting a preview of the completedcommercial on a display to the user; presenting a plurality of deliverypoints to the user; and receiving a delivery point selection from theuser for the completed commercial.
 14. The method of claim 13, whereinthe at least one delivery point is one of a specific market, a station,an affiliate, a company, a cable interconnect, a headend, a cableoperator, and an individual.
 15. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising recommending a delivery point selection to the user based onthe first criterion selection.
 16. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising filtering out the at least one delivery point based on thefirst criterion selection.